A gentleman has been informed he cannot visit his local Job Centre plus office. He has a ban. Over the course of 12 months he has received many sanctions. These sanctions are easy to implement as he has a ban and cannot visit the JCP+ office to sign on. He was offered the opportunity to sign on in a JCP+ office 40 miles away.He didn't attend as he couldn't afford to travel the distance.

His claim was then closed down.

He made a new claim online. DWP rang him and made him an appointment to go to his local JCP+ office for his first work faced interview.He went to the entrance but was confronted by an over excited *** security guard who told him he was still banned and wouldn't let him in.

That claim was closed down.

He has now been informed he can attend a JCP+ office 60+ miles away to sign on.

He has been refused Hardship Allowance - and any new HA form he sends in (to the office 60+ miles away) will be disregarded.

He has zero money.

OK, he's not the most compliant individual and can be bloody difficult to engage with, but I don't care at all for the way he's being treated.

On a side note, my work colleague's mobile work phone was barred from contacting the DWP after a heated call relating to a client's benefit claim.

smh.

EDA

The jobcentre ban notices (which are not signed by a named officer) said they were banned for verbal and written abuse and behaviour “which was totally unacceptable” (no further details on that appear in the correspondence). The people in question denied the charges in the letters. More to the point – and this is the key point, whether we’re talking Bracknell, or wherever – they felt that they had little recourse. They said that they had nowhere to go to appeal those bans. They’d been issued with ban notices by London lawyers (I have copies of these) and then the jobcentre (I have those as well) and told to appear at another job centre for their fortnightly JSA interviews. That was the end of that.

Except that it’s not. Iain Duncan Smith has clearly decided to leave claimants and jobcentre staff to their hell together, to fight it out themselves.

The jobcentre ban notices (which are not signed by a named officer) said they were banned for verbal and written abuse and behaviour “which was totally unacceptable” (no further details on that appear in the correspondence).

It is very worrying if jobcentre staff can ban folk on a whim without giving proper reason. Is this a new development? I never got banned and I was often completely unreasonable with them: I kept going in and expecting them to do their jobs in a competent and effective manner...

Boo wrote:OK, he's not the most compliant individual and can be bloody difficult to engage with, but I don't care at all for the way he's being treated.

Then perhaps he should learn to give a little. When he talks like an arse, walks like an arse, acts like an arse, then he's an arse, and can't complain when the world treats him like an arse.

Have you considered the possibility that he might be mentally ill, and can't actually help being an arse?

Or course. Have you considered the possibility that he might just be an arse?

f he is so mentally ill, then it's clear he cannot look after himself, and should be committed for his own welfare. If he's functional enough to escape committal then he is functional enough to work out a few basics in life and start being reasonably polite when the need arises.

"I do not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death my right to be offended by it."

The jobcentre ban notices (which are not signed by a named officer) said they were banned for verbal and written abuse and behaviour “which was totally unacceptable” (no further details on that appear in the correspondence).

It is very worrying if jobcentre staff can ban folk on a whim without giving proper reason. Is this a new development?

Getting through the line of security staff permanently on code red seems to be difficult for some. Think 80s nightclub bouncer attitude...patronizing, judgemental, condescending. Unfortunately, I've witnessed extreme intimidation directed at a client by security staff while being with him at a JCP+ office. That matter is currently being dealt with.

God - "I have made Mankind!"Angels - "You screwed up a perfectly good monkey is what you did. Look at it. It's got anxiety!"